Apparatus for wet-treating webs of sheet material



July 25, 1961 w D 2,993,356

APPARATUS FOR WET-TREATING WEBS OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 27, 1958 97d J. 9, O

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INVE NTOR IDA v/D WAL TEE ARCH/BA L D BY M724, ATTO EY United States Patent Claims This invention concerns the wet treatment of lengths Patented July 25, 1961 into plies 98. The fold-compacting member 97 is desirably an endless belt 97a passing over driving and return rollers 97b, 97c and over a part-circular guide 97d which is positioned with its part-circular surface adjacent the beam members 90, within the cylindrical enclosure defined thereby, to hold the flattened plies in overlapping relation as they pass in an inverted condition of flexible material suchas webs of textile and other 7 sheet material.

An ob ect of the invention is to enable a substantial length, as compared with its width or thickness, of a flexible mater-1a] to be received within a treatment zone at any one time.

Another object of the invention is to avoid, or sub- 7 stantially to reduce the, possibility of the material becoming mechanically damaged, as by creasing, duringtreatment thereof.

According to-the present invention, in apparatus of 1 beam members around a circular path, and means for continuously feeding said material in a downward directron towards an intake region at an upper part of said path for interception by said beam members, whereby to festoon said material over said beam members and create a fold of material depending between each pair of adjacent beam members, there are provided means arranged stationarily with respect to said beam members and displaced to one side of said intake region in the direction of travel of said beam members, for intercepting said depending folds of material close to their points of suspension from said beam members and thereby causing said folds to compact into plies which, during their continued movement around said path, are guided by said fold-compacting means into overlapping relation immediately adjacent the inner periphery of said path.

The invention will be described further, by way of example with reference to the accompanying generally diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of an embodiment of the invention for treating sheet material in liquids;

FIG. 2 is a reverse plan view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a detail showing a modification to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, intended for the treatment of sheet material in liquid, the beam or festooning members 90- are carried circumferentially between a pair of wheels 91, a part of the resulting assembly being submerged in a tank 92 holding the treatment liquid, for example, a bleaching or washing liquor. The wheels 91 are supported on and driven by rollers 93, and above them are arranged feed rollers 94, 95 which feed sheet material downwardly over the beam members 90. It will be appreciated that whilst the material is being downwardly fed, to keep the material, if wet, from adhering to unwanted members, and to keep the folds open when flexing thereof occurs e.g. over the fold-compacting member 97 or when the folds are being removed from the take-off stage, then a stream of fluid may be applied to one or both sides of the cloth at the required points, e.g. from nozzles 91a beneath the feed rollers 94, 95. Folds of material 96 are thus created as the wheels 91 rotate and carry the beam members 90 around with them, and the folds 96 are carried by the motion of the beam members against a fold-compacting member 97 which inverts and flattens said folds along that portion of the wheel circumference which has a substantial vertical component. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 the bottom portion of the wheel and beam memberassembly passes through the liquid in the tank 92, and the relative motion thus set up between the plies 98 and the liquid causes the plies to open and the liquid to stream through them.

If the greater part of the wheel and beam member assembly is to be submerged in the tank 92, then to facilitate festooning of the sheet material there may be provided a liquid-tight compartment depending into the tank and open at its upper face so as to define with said upper wheel portion, a sheet material intake stage in which the sheet material to be treated is festooned over the beam members 90. That side wall of the liquid-tight compartment which is displaced from the point of entry of the cloth in the direction of rotation of the wheel 91 may then constitute a fold-compacting member, and at its free upper edge may carry a roller to facilitate the fold-compacting operation.

. To more positively encourage the creation of liquid currents in the tank 92, especially when the greater part of the wheel and belam mernber assembly passes therethrough, the beam members may take the form of blades 99 directed along chords of the wheels 91, similarly to conventional water wheels, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, as the wheels 91 are rotated in the liquid in the tank 92, the blades 99 set up currents within that liquid causing it to be directed into and through the folds 96 of the material undergoing treatment, ensuring that the said material is thoroughly, uniformly and expeditiously treated. The usual drawing-off rollers 100 or the like arrangement are provided adjacent the part of the tank at which the blades carry the treated material out of the liquid, and as shown in FIG. 1 may conveniently cooperate with the feed rollers 95.

It will be appreciated that, by festooning a length of material on to the beam members of the embodiment of FIG. 1, instead of continuously feeding and removing the material as shown, and then securing the ends of said length when the same has been accommodated on the beam members, the wheels 91 may be rotated for noncontinuous processing such as dyeing, or at such a speed as to result in centrifugal drying of the festooned material.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the treatment of lengths of flexible material comprising a pair of driven circular members rotatably mounted in coaxially spaced, parallel relation, a plurality of mutually spaced horizontal beam members mounted between and adjacent the periphery of said circular members for travel in a circular path as said circular members rotate, means for continuously feeding said material towards said beam members to festoon said material thereover and to form a downwardly depending fold of material between each pair of beam members, and stationary fold-compacting means arranged in close-spaced relation to the inner periphery of said circular path and displaced from said feeding means in the direction of travel of said beam members for intercepting said folds of material adjacent their open ends to compact said folds of material into closed plies and to guide said plies in mutually overlapping relation towards the inner periphery of said circular path.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a liquid container, at least a part of each circular member depending into said container to enable said material to be subjected to liquid treatment.

3. Apparatus for the liquid treatment of lengths of flexible material comprising a pair of driven annular members rotatably mounted in coaxially spaced, parallel relation, a plurality of mutually spaced blades mounted between peripheral regions of said annular members and arranged chordally thereof, whereby rotation of said annular members causes said blades to describe a cincular path, a liquid container, at least a part of each annular member depending into said liquid container, means for continuously feeding said material towards said. blades to festoon said material thereover and to form a downwardly depending fold of material between each pair of adjacent blades, and stationary fold-compacting means spaced from said feeding means in the direction of travel of said blades and immediately adjoining the inner periphery of said circular path for intercepting said folds of material adjacent said blades, whereby to compact said folds of material into closed plies and to guide said plies in mutually overlapping relation towards the inner periphery of said circular path, said blades being adapted to promote liquid currents in said container whereby to subject said folds to liquid flow.

4. In apparatus for the treatment of lengths of flexible material, of the type including a plurality of horizontal beam members supported at equispaced intervals between a pair of identical driven, circular carrier members mounted in spaced, parallel relation and arranged to convey said beam members around a circular path, and means for continuously feeding said material in a downward direction towards an intake region at an upper part of said path for interception by said beammembers,

whereby to festoon said material over said beam members and create a fold of material depending between each pair of adjacent beam members, the improvement comprising fold-compacting means arranged stationarily with respect to said beam members and to one side of said intake region in the direction of travel of said beam members, said fold-compacting means being located within and adjacent the inner periphery of said v'ci'rculartpath to intercept said depending folds of materialclose to their points of suspension from said beammem-bersand compact said'fo-lds into closed plies, and to guide said plies, during continued movement of said beam members, in mutually overlapping relationship towards the inner periphery of said endless path.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, whereinsaid fold- References Cited in the file of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS V Smith May 6, 1879 897,133 Palmer Aug. 25, 1908 1,692,129 Lambrette Nov. 20, 1928 2,239,607 Himsworth Apr. 22, 1941 2,253,083 Mees Aug..l9, 1941 2,544,159 Hinnekens Mar. 6, 1951 2,814,192 Brunnern Nov. 26, 1957 

